North Carolina, State Senate, District 45

Note: North Carolina's state legislative district maps are the subject of ongoing legal actions. On June 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a federal district court decision finding that 28 state legislative districts had been subject to an illegal racial gerrymander. The district court then ordered state lawmakers to draft remedial maps for use in the 2018 election cycle. The legislature adopted new state House and Senate district maps on August 30, 2017. On October 26, 2017, the district court appointed a special master "to assist the Court in further evaluating and, if necessary, redrawing" the revised district maps. The special master, Nate Persily, issued final recommendations on December 1, 2017. On January 19, 2018, the district court issued an order adopting Persily's recommendations, which incorporated some changes to the maps drawn by the state legislature. However, on February 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a partial stay against the district court's order. On June 28, 2018, the high court partially affirmed the district court's decision but returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration regarding its original ruling on districts in Wake and Mecklenburg counties. As a result of these actions, several district numbers and boundaries changed. Consequently, the demographic information in this article might not apply to the newly drawn district boundaries. We will update this information as new developments occur. For more information on redistricting in North Carolina, see this article.

North Carolina State Senate District 45
Current incumbent	Deanna Ballard
Population	190,341
Race	92.41% White, 3.14% Black, 0.29% Native American, 0.62% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.21% Single Race Other, 1.33% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	95.47% Non Hispanic, 4.53% Hispanic
Voting age	80.8% age 18 and over

North Carolina's forty-fifth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Deanna Ballard.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 190,341 civilians reside within North Carolina's forty-fifth state senate district. North Carolina state senators represent an average of 190,710 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 160,986 residents.

About the office

Members of the North Carolina State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office the first day of the new General Assembly in January.

Qualifications

Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states: "Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$13,951/year	$104/day; set by statute.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the Governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. When making the appointment, the Governor must make the selection from a list of recommended candidates submitted by the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The appointment must be made by the Governor within seven days of receiving the list of recommended candidates. The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline was December 20, 2019.

2018

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 45

Incumbent Deanna Ballard (R) defeated Wes Luther (D) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 45 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Deanna Ballard (R)	65.1	48,998
	Wes Luther (D)	34.9	26,293

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 75,291

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 45

Brandon Anderson advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 45 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Brandon Anderson (D)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 45

Incumbent Deanna Ballard defeated Shirley Randleman in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 45 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Deanna Ballard (R)	53.6	8,403
	Shirley Randleman (R)	46.4	7,276

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 15,679

2016

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election will be held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015. Incumbent Daniel Soucek (R) resigned from the state Senate on April 8, 2016. Deanna Ballard (R) was appointed to the seat on April 26, 2016.

Deanna Ballard defeated Art Sherwood in the North Carolina State Senate District 45 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 45 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Deanna Ballard	65.00%	56,758
	Democratic	Art Sherwood	35.00%	30,559
Total Votes			87,317
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Art Sherwood ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 45 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 45 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Art Sherwood (unopposed)

Deanna Ballard defeated Ken Boham in the North Carolina State Senate District 45 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 45 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Deanna Ballard	53.00%	13,546
	Republican	Ken Boham	47.00%	12,013
Total Votes			25,559

2014

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent Daniel Soucek was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Jim Sponenberg was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Soucek defeated Sponenberg in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 45 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Daniel Soucek Incumbent	60.2%	33,165
	Democratic	Jim Sponenberg	39.8%	21,941
Total Votes			55,106

2012

Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 29, 2012. Incumbent Daniel Soucek (R) defeated Roy J. Carter (D) in the general election and George S. Robinson in the May 8 Republican primary. Carter was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 45, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Daniel Soucek Incumbent	60.7%	50,848
	Democratic	Roy J. Carter	39.3%	32,913
Total Votes			83,761

North Carolina State Senate District 45 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Daniel Soucek Incumbent	65.4%	17,384
George S. Robinson	34.6%	9,186
Total Votes		26,570

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 45 raised a total of $1,662,508. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $72,283 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 45

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$195,043	3	$65,014
2014	$102,914	2	$51,457
2012	$130,041	3	$43,347
2010	$532,340	3	$177,447
2008	$347,184	3	$115,728
2006	$228,946	3	$76,315
2004	$52,427	2	$26,214
2002	$73,613	4	$18,403
Total	$1,662,508	23	$72,283